FACILITIES WITH INGREDIENTS THAT COULD BE DANGEROUS TO CONSUMERS.
>> IF YOU SEE OFFICERS ON
HORSEBACK IN YOUR
NEIGHBORHOOD, KNOW YOU’RE NOT
RIDING BACK IN TIME. THE
JACKSONVILLE SHERIFF’S OFFICE
IS RAMPING UP ITS MOUNTED UNIT
ONCE AGAIN. THE SHERIFF THINKS
HORSES ARE GOOD FOR COMMUNITY
RELATIONS. JSO IS TRAINING TO
MORE HORSES, BRINGING THE UNIT
UP TO 6 EACH WITH A SPECIALLY
SELECTED OFFICER. THEY’RE USED
FOR FOOTBALL GAMES, CONCERTS,
PARADES AND PROTESTS. NEWS. 4
JAX REPORTER VIC MICOLUCCI
SHOWS US THE UNIQUE ADVANTAGES
FOR EQUESTRIAN ENFORCERS.
>> THAT WOULD POLICE MAN. THEY
SAY PEOPLE TOO, YOU KNOW, NOT
ONLY THE FIREMEN, POLICEMEN
SAY PEOPLE TOO.
>> IT’S MOMENTS LIKE THESE GO
TO STORES TO BE THAT MAKE ALL
THE WORK FOR THE JSO MOUNTED
UNIT WORTH IT. 4 YEAR-OLD
AVERY AT A LOSS FOR WORDS NOW.
BUT OFFICERS HOPE IT’S A
MEMORY WILL TALK ABOUT FOR
YEARS IN THE FUTURE. GIVE THE
KIDS SOMETHING FUN TO SEE. YOU
KNOW, AND BE ABLE TO GET A
LITTLE UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL
WITH THERE’S A LOT OF
TRAINING, BUT A TON OF EFFORT
TO GET TO THIS POINT. I PRAYED
WITH EVERY DAY I GET A JOB,
WHETHER IT’S A VETERAN LIKE
MIDNIGHT OR A ROOKIE LIKE JAX,
THESE HORSES MUST TRUST THEIR
OFFICERS. AND THE OFFICERS
MUST TRUST THEIR FOUR-LEGGED
PARTNERS WITH THEM OUT TO THE
ROUND 10 FOR SOME SOME
TRAINING. THE POINT OF THIS IS
FOR CONNECTION WITH YOUR
HORSE. WELCOME TO THE BAR.
THAT’S GOING TO CREATE THAT
DISCIPLINE BETWEEN HIM AND ME.
GOOD BOY. GOOD BOY.
>> IT’S A FAR CRY FROM THE
REST OF THE BUILDINGS IN
DOWNTOWN JACKSONVILLE, WHERE
POLICE ALWAYS BE WEARING CHAPS
IN THE RIGHT STUFF BECAUSE YOU
DON’T WANT TO GET CUT BY THE
NAILS. GET UP CLOSE AND
PERSONAL WITH THEIR EQUESTRIAN
COUNTERPARTS. I LOVE IT. I
MEAN, HERE I GET TO DO WITH
THE WORLD JSO HAD OFFICERS ON
HORSEBACK FOR DECADES, BUT
BUDGET CUTS 10 YEARS AGO
HALTED THE MOUNTED UNIT UNTIL
THE SHERIFF BROUGHT IT BACK IN
2018 SINCE THEN, JSO HAS BEEN
BUILDING IT UP. NOW UP TO 6
HORSES AND SPECIALLY TRAINED
OFFICERS. SOME WE’VE BEEN
WORKING WITH THEM FOR 60 THE
NEWEST JUDGE NAMED IN HONOR OF
ASSISTANT CHIEF JIMMY JUDGE.
HE’S A BELOVED SUPERVISOR
BATTLING LOU GEHRIG’S DISEASE.
THE HORSES SEEM TO HELP WITH
THE AGENCY’S PUBLIC IMAGE
DOESN’T MAKE OFFICERS MORE
APPROACHABLE.
>> I GOING INTO IT NOW.
>> BUT THEY’RE NOT JUST
HORSING THIS FALL. PATROL
OFFICERS WERE CHASING A
CARJACKER THROUGH CROWDS AT
THE JAGUARS GAME. THE HORSES
WERE ALREADY THERE AND HELPED
CORRAL HIM ONTO A TRAILER.
OFFICERS TASED AND ARRESTED.
THE MAN. AND LAST WEDNESDAY,
THE MOUNTED UNIT RESPONDED TO
ITS FIRST MANHUNT SINCE COMING
BACK TO THE AGENCY.
INVESTIGATORS TELL US A MAN
CRASHED A STOLEN CAR NEAR AN A
S JACKSONVILLE THEN JUMPED THE
FENCE, RUNNING ON TO THE BASE.
MORE THAN 100 OFFICERS
SEARCHED THE WOODS FOR NEARLY
5 HOURS UNTIL POLICE ON
HORSEBACK SPOTTED THE 5 TIME
CONDIT.
>> THEY HELD THE PERIMETER
WHILE A CANINE CAPTURED THE
MAN. WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES
HERE?
>> THE MANAGERS AMOUNT OF
UNIT. OBVIOUSLY THEY GO
PLACES. THE VEHICLES CANNOT.
WE’VE BEEN ASKED TO ASSIST
WITH THAT MISSING INDIVIDUALS
WHO MIGHT BE IN A WOODLAND
AREA. SO WE ASSESS WHERE THOSE
SEARCHES. IT ALSO PROVIDES
CROWD CONTROL DURING EVENTS
STADIUM. IT’S WHY POLICE ARE
PICKING UP THEIR PRESENCE,
PATROLLING NEIGHBORHOODS LIKE
THEY DID IN YEARS PAST FROM
DOWNTOWN.
>> TO THE BEACHES, THE MLK DAY
PARADE TO THE ARTWALK PROVIDES
A ASPECT AND DIFFERENT BUT IF
YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THEM YET, I
GET TO SEE STUFF LIKE TYPE OF
LEWIS’S, THEN THEY BEGIN YOU
JUST MIGHT IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
>> DOWNTOWN, I’M VIC MICOLUCCI
CHANNEL 4, THE LOCAL STATION.
>> SO BEAUTIFUL. THE MOUNTED
UNIT DOES BRING THE HORSES TO
CERTAIN EVENTS AND YOU CAN PUT
IN A REQUEST FOR THE SHERIFF’S
OFFICE. YOU KNOW, FOR ALMOST
30 YEARS I’VE BEEN SITTING AT
THE SAME DESK WITH SOMEONE WHO
REALLY KNOWS HOW CHILDREN ARE
SITE OF A HORSE, NOT JUST HAD
TEARS IN MY EYES. A MOOSE
CREATURES ARE JUST SO
GORGEOUS. AND THEN OFFICERS.
>> THEY ARE. HAVE SUCH A
>> TEAM. YOU KNOW IT. IF THEY
BECOME TEAM TOGETHER, WORKING
WITH ANIMAL AND THEN YOU YOU
PUT YOU BROUGHT UP THE CHILD,
THEN WATCHING THEM. AND THE
SHERIFF IS RIGHT, HORSES ARE
GREAT FOR THE COMMUNITY AND
AND FOR OUTREACH RIGHT FOR THE
SHERIFF’S OFFICE CONGRESS
COMMUNITY RELATIONS AND GOING
OUT THERE. VIC STARTED THE
STORY WITH HIS LITTLE BOY. HE
SAID WITH THAT JUST HAPPENED.
I SWEAR I JUST WALKED UP AND
THIS GENTLEMAN WAS SHOWING IS
LITTLE BOY, THESE HUGE,
ENORMOUS CREATURES AND AND
ALSO SAYS SHARING THAT, SEE,
YOU KNOW, POLICE OFFICERS,
THEY HELP PEOPLE JUST LIKE
FIREFIGHTERS, YOU KNOW, AND
AND THAT AND THAT MAKING THAT
LASTING IMPRESSION ON THAT
LITTLE BOY. IT’S INCREDIBLE.
INCREDIBLE STORY JUST GETS IN
AND WE’RE GLAD TO HAVE THE
MOUNTED PATROL BACK POSITIVELY